Hooked on Mountain Biking at 74 Years Old

Steve bought his first mountain bike (this carbon Specialized S-Works) from Biker’s Edge in Bristol at the end of summer in 2013. Little did he know that he would end up hooked on mountain biking in a very short time!

Bob at Biker’s Edge told him that mountain biking wasn’t much like road riding and that he should contact Coach Margie Bowen for some instruction.

Steve is a smart man and took Bob’s advice.

I first met Steve in September of 2013 for his initial coaching session and I remember telling him that if it turned out that mountain biking wasn’t his thing that I’d like first dibs on his bike. It’s a sweet ride!

He’s totally hooked on mountain biking and we still get together on a regular basis to ride the trails and work on specific challenges as they present themselves to him.

Last summer and fall he complained of feeling like his endurance just wasn’t getting any better and that he’d occasionally have some chest discomfort. He assured me that he’d been fully checked out and was told that there was nothing wrong with him.

Steve is a dental surgeon and being in the medical field he felt that what he was told just didn’t make sense so he insisted that more tests be done. Sure enough, they found a 90% blockage and put in a stent on December 30, 2015.

He just turned 74 and when I asked him if he wanted to add anything to go along with his picture, he said…

“Yes, tell them that I have a new heart valve and a new 1×11 and I’m ready to hit the trails again!”